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Article Take Your Kids Smartphone And Social Media Away, Social Psychologist Urges

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If you have a tween or teen in your family, you’re well aware of the hold that smartphones have on their attention and their lives. Which is why we’re being urged to take them away, and let our kids just be kids.

Social psychologist and best selling author Jonathan Haidt believes that smartphones are the primary cause of the rise of anxiety and depression in adolescents.

It comes amid growing calls in Australia for kids under 14 to be banned from social media.

Jonathan says there are four ‘new norms’ we should implement to give our kids healthier childhoods.

The first is no smartphones before 14-years-old.

“You can give them a flip phone you send them out give them a phone so you can the flip phones you can text them they can text you call if they need to but you do not give a child the internet in their pocket where strangers can reach them and they can watch beheading videos,” he told the WSJ. “You don’t give that to a child to have with them all the time.”

The second norm is no social media until they turn 16.

“The kids say this themselves, 18-year-olds say this, they wish that this didn’t exist but they’re stuck they’re trapped on it. So how about we just delay it till 16? Just don’t let don’t let children go through puberty on social media that’s the really vulnerable time.”

The third norm would be phone-free schools.

“Imagine for those of you we went to school before the internet imagine that the school had a new rule you can bring in your television from home you can bring in your walkie talkies you can bring in your record player put it all on your desk will give you an outlet and you can do that during class while the teachers talking.

“This is complete insanity but that’s what we’ve done. That’s what we’ve done. Any school that lets kids have the phone and they’re pocket like in New York City public schools, and the rule is you can’t take out your phone during class ,which means that you have to hide it behind a book or under your desk if you want to text and watch video and watch p*** which the kids do.”

Finally, Jonathan says kids need to have more independence, free play and real-world responsibility.

“The fourth norm is far more independence, free play and responsibility in the real world just like everyone had until the 1990s. There can’t be an adult guarding them all the time until they go to college.”

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below. 

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Comments

  • With my thirs we had no phone, blocked social media etc but she got her way around it. She would go to libraries to access social media on the computers there,. she would hack the computer at home, she stole iPad’s from school, she would be in electronics stores and she would borrow phones from her friends.
    She showed very unsafe online behaviour. For example at age 11 she used my husbands credit card details and signed up for an adulkt dating website 3x before we realised what happened

    • She also hacked our computer in the night, watching rough porn at the age 11

    Reply

  • Children and adults would all benefit from less phone and screen time and have a good balance between all activities and ‘things’ in life.

    • I agree. Screen time should be treated like any other activity and moderated.

      • Absolutely; moderation is essential and adults need to be good role models.

    Reply

  • Im all for not exposing kids to social media at a young age, they just dont need it

    Reply

  • Definitely what you want to aim for. Phones have completely changed the dynamics of households and schools. It can be hard, but we need to try to have our kids avoid interacting with phones as early as possible. It starts with them viewing our habits.

    Reply

  • Yes I completely agree. And I try to keep my twins away from social media and smart phones as long as possible. But they are only four.

    Reply

  • I agree strongly with keeping kids off social media for as long as possible.

    Reply

  • There is no valid reason for a child under 16 to have a phone just let them live as we did prior to the year 2000 .

    • LOL, I didn’t have a phone till I was 38yrs old !

    Reply

  • I don’t know how they are ever going to turn this tide but it needs to happen. We, ourselves, have to set the example and put our phones down! So hard.

    Reply
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